Melvin “Mel” George Thorne, age 80, of Pickford, Michigan, passed away at his home on August 10, 2025. He was born on July 7, 1945, at his family farm in Pickford to Levi and Emaline (O’Brien) Thorne.

Mel grew up in Pickford and attended Pickford Area Schools until his junior year, when he moved to Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Wayne Memorial High School in Wayne, Michigan. After high school, he lived in Detroit for three years and worked for the City of Plymouth, Michigan. Mel also spent several summers on Mackinac Island, driving draft horse carriages, before returning home in 1969 to take over and run Thorne Farms, established in 1910. The farm later became recognized as a Michigan Centennial Farm in 2010, a source of great pride for him and his family.

Alongside farming, Mel

See Full Page